Sunday, January 27, 2013

Miles Lab (The Burger Bar at Bull Dog Crossing)

The moment you walk into the door of Miles Lab on East Jackson Street in Elkhart, it is evident that the establishment is rich with history; from the name to the pictures on the wall, this restaurant is an homage to the owner's great great grandfather, Dr. Franklin Miles, founder of Miles Laboratories, the predecessor of Bayer. Not only are the name and the walls full of history, but the bar itself was a speakeasy during prohibition, and served WWII vets on many a Friday night after the war.

The original Miles Lab in downtown Elkhart, IN

I have to admit that I have been to Mile's Lab, several times before today, but wanted a fresh experience before I blogged, and this visit did not disappoint...which is a relief, because this time we invited friends! We started our meal with the chips and beer cheese appetizer because it was easy to share at the table and because I LOVE hand cut potato chips; the chips were delicious, crispy, and salty, and from what my hubby reports the beer cheese was good, but not really his thing.

Hand cut potato chips & beer cheese

While I have tried many delicious items at Mile's Lab, for instance the ever Hoosier loved favorite, the tenderloin sandwich is to die for, I decided to go for something I hadn't tried, the fish and chips, well, my friend Robert had the fish and chips, I had the fish and onion rings!

Fish & Chips

I had every intention of getting my beer battered cod with a traditional side of hand cut "chips," but when my waitress gave me the option of onion rings I was powerless to resist, and rightfully so, these giant onion rings are hand battered, perfectly crispy, and dusted with just enough coarse sea salt to compliment the sweetness of the onions, they truthfully are some of my favorite. The fish came out as two large filets that made Robert and I both say "dang!" the beer batter on them was thick, crisp, and delicious, and from the talk around the table I hear the cole slaw was delicious as well.

Beer battered cod & onion rings

While "The Lab" serves a unique burger that uses grilled cheese sandwiches in place of buns, my husband forewent this veritable heart attack on a plate (which he has tried and thinks is great) for the blackjack burger that starts with a fresh hand pattied burger and gets topped with one of their delicious onion rings, jalapenos, spicy mayo, the hubby's favorite, pepper jack cheese, and if these delicious unique toppings aren't enough Mile's Lab kicks their burgers up a notch by serving them on a ciabatta bun, instead of a traditional bun. And as if this wasn't all tasty enough, he got hand cut fries on the side (trust me, they were good, I stole one!).

Black Jack Burger & Hand cut fries

Our friend Andrea tried a dish that is traditionally a salad, but was turned into a sandwich, the caprese. Just imagine, a chicken breast topped with a tomato, covered in melted mozzarella, smothered in house made pesto on a ciabatta bun, and if you are a vegetarian, you can even get this sandwich sans chicken breast. She was also pleasantly surprised to find that one of the side options was sweet potato fries.

Caprese & Sweet potato fries

Personally I ran out of room before I ran out of food, but I was bound and determined to try a slice of house made cheesecake, because the pictures on Facebook always look so scrumptious, so I took home a slice of chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake and wow!! Talk about cheesecake perfection, from the delicious, crispy crust, to the creamy filling chock full of cookie dough, to the sweet chocolate ganache on top this cheesecake was out of bounds. If you're not one to save room for dessert, you should at Miles lab, or at least take some home, you won't be sorry. If it is your thing Mile's Lab also has 18 beers on tap, and from our experience, always has a full bar, regardless of the traffic in the dining room. From the history buff to the food lover, Miles Lab truly has a little something for everyone; from burgers, to wings, to giant steaks, handmade sides, and delicious desserts you will not be disappointed.